William Byron headed to Championship 4 for first time in NASCAR Cup Series career

For the first time in his six seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series, William Byron has qualified as one of four drivers eligible to compete for the season title in this Sunday’s Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway. The green flag is scheduled to drop at 3 p.m. EST, broadcast live on NBC.

Byron, 25, is simultaneously pursuing his B.S. in Strategic Communication through Liberty’s Online Programs. He finished 13th in Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway to make the Championship 4 field alongside Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) teammate Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing), and Ryan Blaney (Team Penske). Byron and Larson will pursue the 15th NASCAR Cup Series championship for HMS.

Byron finished the regular season atop the Cup Series points standings, winning five races, and he continued the momentum into the playoffs, winning the fourth playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway on Sept. 24 in the Liberty University No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. He followed that up with back-to-back second-place showings at Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 1 and the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL on Oct. 8.

Sunday’s race was run in summer-like conditions for late October in southern Virginia.

“My crew chief (Rudy Fugle) knew what buttons to push,” Byron said. “Our car was so hot from, honestly, around lap 30. I’ve never been that hot. We dug deep (and) I’m just proud of my whole team. They stuck behind me, and they gave me adjustments that I needed. We were sliding all around (for the last 30 laps), but that’s what it took. I wanted to make the Championship 4 for them.”

The point totals for the Championship 4 qualifying drivers are set at 5,000 going into this Sunday’s final race at Phoenix. At the desert track, Byron earned his second win in March and has posted another top-five finish and six top-10 showings in 11 career starts.

Liberty has sponsored Byron since 2014 and is the primary sponsor for the No. 24 car for 13 of the 36 Cup Series races this season — including the win in Texas and the Oct. 22 race in Miami — and will remain a primary sponsor for 12 more events in each successive season through 2026.